


Like Reading Tea Leaves

by Flammenkobold



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Asexual Character, Canon Asexual Character, Kissing, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Secret Relationship, Tea, beholding powers, unexpected telepath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-07 00:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15896814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flammenkobold/pseuds/Flammenkobold
Summary: The cup of tea on John's desk is mocking Martin - and getting rid of Elias has some unforeseen side effects.





	Like Reading Tea Leaves

The tea cup on John’s desk is taunting him. It’s taunting him as he wasn’t the one to make it - the cup he holds in his hands evidence of it. He knows that John hasn’t made it either, he hasn’t left his office the entire day, filing and brooding over forms and reading one statement in between.

He doesn’t waste too much thought on how he knows.

With Elias out of the way for now, the harsh reality of how to proceed running the Institute and the Archives has come up and left none of them with much time to properly recover from their poorly executed yet successful plans. The past weeks kept them busy and the dawning horror of how deep they gotten into this mess partially away.

“Hey,” he manages to get out and John looks up from the paper he was focusing on.

“Martin!” John’s furrowed brows smooth out and his lips turn into a wry smile that makes his heart miss a beat or two. “What can I do for you? Please tell me it’s not another bloody signature.”

“Uh- no, I was just wondering if you’d like a cup of tea?” he says and holds up the cup in his hands, firmly ignoring the one sitting already on John’s desk.

John’s eyes flicker away for a moment, his hands fidgeting with the paper he brooded over when Martin came in. “I- Thank you, Martin, I’m good. Tim-” a flush creeps over John’s skin and his lips thin in annoyance at it. “He brought me one earlier, I still haven’t finished it yet.”

There is flash of something in his mind. _Tim pressing him down into the bed that’s just this side of too small for two grown men, sheets smelling of industrial washing detergent, lips pressed to his own all none too gentle. It might be their last night on Earth for all they know,  it might be the last day Earth is anything like they know either._ Just his imagination, Martin tells himself. He’s heard Melanie’s and Basira’s gossip over John, affirmation for something he already suspected. John wouldn’t.

“This one’s still hot,” he sing-songs, instead of saying whatever awkward words lurk in his throat. Well, more awkward than this.

John gives a dry laugh. It’s a nice thing and Martin gets the impression that he considers it. But his eyes flicker back to the cup on his desk. “I think I’m covered.”

Another set of images flash before his eyes. _He clings to Tim, mutters into his ear to hold on, that this isn’t his brother, though he might be screaming for all he knows with the world around him turning into madness. A flash of fear and clarity through the confusion as his worry over Tim surmounts his fear of the unknown and unknowable just for a split of a second._ Martin closes his eyes briefly, trying to shake the pictures his mind conjured.

“Martin?” There is worry in John’s eyes when Martin blinks open his own. “You all right?”

“Sorry,” he mutters, voice gone high. “Sorry,” he repeats, steadying himself. “Just a long day.” He summons a watered down smile to his face, one that John matches with an unsure one of his own.

“And likely to get even longer,” John says and rubs the bridge of his nose, bumping up his glasses but not bothering to remove them.

“Likely,” he echoes and stares at the cup on John’s desk. “It’s good- good to see you and Tim getting along better?” he adds but the words taste like ash in his mouth. He wishes he could be as happy about this as he thinks he should be.

John involuntarily smiles, a tiny thing but very soft, his own eyes wandering over to the cup. “I- yes.”

There is a yearning in his heart that Martin doesn’t recognise as his own, just a fleeting thing that passes as fast as the images in his mind. _Tim’s pressing him down into a bed again. This one smells like the sheets haven’t been changed in a while. He has a moment of old panic when Tim grabs his hips to maneuver him into a more comfortable position. His own hand circles Tim’s wrist. “Hey, it’s okay, just kissing, right?” Tim whispers and there is a gentleness to it that has been missing for far too long. “Quite,” he sighs, relaxing, and his own kisses carry a softness he barely remembers being capable of. He wishes he was there now, Tim in his arms and soft sheets around him instead of being stuck in the Archives._ The tea cup shakes in Martin’s hands.

“Maybe you should drink it instead, you seem like you need it,” John suggests, eyebrows furrowed again. Martin swallows and nods.

“I- yes, good idea.” He wants to leave the room, but his body is still rooted to the spot.

“Unless there is anything else you wanted?” It’s a good thing that John doesn’t use his Archivist voice when asking, because there are a lot of things Martin wants.

 _You_ , Martin thinks, heartsick, but says, “No, nothing.” It doesn’t seem like he’ll get that soon - if ever. “Sorry, I- I’ll just go. Still a lot of papers to sift through in Elias’ office.” He retreats back to the door, John’s concerned eyes on him and he wishes John wouldn’t look at him like that. Wishes he wouldn’t notice or care at all, because that might have made it easier.

 


End file.
